Hello! Project Kids (ハロー！プロジェクト・キッズ; sometimes referred to as H!P Kids) was a group of 15 girls chosen out of 27,958 applicants. The results of this audition were announced on the June 30, 2002 episode of Hello! Morning.[1] Hello! Project Kids were divided into 2 groups: Berryz Koubou and ℃-ute.

The Hello! Project Kids joined Hello! Project in 2002 and consisted of fifteen young girls chosen out of 27,958 applicants in the Hello! Project Kids Audition. The results of this audition were announced in the June 30, 2002 episode of Hello! Morning.[1] They were called H!P Kids due to their young age at the time of their joining. They supported Hello! Project in various ways, such as dancing at concerts. Their first recording and PV shooting as a group was for "Ganbacchae!" in 2003.

In early 2004, eight of the girls were placed into a new group called Berryz Koubou.[3] The remaining seven girls were then referred to as Hello! Project Kids, but on June 11, 2005 they formed a new group named ℃-ute.[4]

All the Hello! Project Kids participated in the 2004 shuffle unit H.P. All Stars.

In 2011, Tsunku announced a new project within Hello! Project. Berryz Koubou and ℃-ute would join together to form the new fusion unit, BeriKyuu. In November 2011, BeriKyuu released their debut single "Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku."

On August 2, during the Hello! Project 2014 SUMMER ~KOREZO!~ show at Nakano Sun Plaza, Shimizu announced that Berryz Koubou would be on indefinite hiatus after the conclusion of their spring 2015 tour.[5] For over a year, the members discussed the future of the group and all came to the mutual conclusion to go on an indefinite hiatus in order to achieve their own personal goals.

On August 20, ℃-ute announced that they would disband in June 2017; rather than going on hiatus, or staying as a group but graduating from Hello! Project.[6][7] As ℃-ute began and grew as part of Hello! Project, the members want the group to end as "℃-ute of Hello! Project". After the conclusion of their last live at Super Saitama Arena, the members will go on to fulfill their individual goals.

On November 5, Tsugunaga Momoko announced that she would graduate from Country Girls and Hello! Project and retire from the entertainment industry on June 30, 2017 to work as a teacher, which she had already graduated from university in 2014 studying early education.[8][9]